Crimson
by River Knight17
Summary: Elyse never thought of herself as normal. For her entire life she was always an outsider, even to her own family. But when she begins her new life at Hogwarts, things begin to change... some for the worst, some for the better.
1. Failed attempt

Severus Snape flew over the country of England, not able to shake the feeling away. He had always known that his god-daughter had had problems, but he never suspected that they would be as bad as the ones that his gut told him they were for her now. He had been sitting in his office at Hogwarts and just pondering over the list of students when a flash of a vision came into his mind. Elyse Mantritch, his best friend's daughter, was dying.

Elyse was sitting at the bar of her parent's country home, a glass of wine sitting in front of her. She wasn't an alcoholic, but the taste reminded her of her father. Sixteen years old and she was already losing all control of her life. No one seemed to want to talk to her ever since word got out that she was a vampire. The first downhill slope in her life was when she was eight years old and her mother committed suicide after her father told them both that he was a vampire. Then her father was slaughtered by a werewolf and Elyse was left in the care of her god-father. Severus wasn't exactly a father figure; he was shy and awkward, for one way of putting it.

It was time to end this. She knew she was not cut out for this sort of life, trying to live with Muggles as a witch or with magic-folk as a vampire. Werewolves, curse them, could take a potion to tame their instincts, but the thirst for blood and death was always with her. Elyse was going to die in the way she had killed. A regular blade would let her heal automatically, but there would be no heal for a magic cut. Her wand (black walnut, dragon heartstring, 11 ½ inches), lying on the table, was cold as she picked it up and held it to her left wrist.

Severus touched down on Elyse's front lawn, and a wave of negative emotions hit him. He dropped his broom on the lawn and bursts open the door with his wand. He swiftly scanned the area but there was no sign of her in the foyer or living room. He entered the kitchen and stopped. She was on the floor, her wand was in her left hand and he could see a dark pool in the dim overhead lights. He unglued his feet and rushed to her. She was still alive and opened her silver eyes. He muttered incantations to stop the bleeding, but she grabbed his arm feebly.

"Don't." she muttered, and her body went limp. For the first time in his life, Severus felt like crying.

As soon as she felt the warm sheets, Elyse knew she had failed. A deep sense of sadness swept through her. Not because she had just tried to kill herself, but because she had to live. No one wanted her. She did not eat; she thought that would kill her. But St. Mungo's has ways of dealing with stubborn patients. She fought and screamed and even bit when they tried to bring her back to health. Finally she just gave up and didn't move. Until one day, she had a visitor. A soft knock at the door from her god father didn't even receive the bat of an eyelash. He approached her, unsure of what to say. But it came to him after he had set the vase of blue roses on the table and sat next to her.

"I am not going to lecture you about this. You are old enough to make your own choices. All I want to know is why? What is going through your mind? What are you thinking right now?"

Elyse looked at him. His dark eyes stared back. He looked stiff, like his face was too used to scowling.

"You should smile." He did, with a little chuckle.

"Look who's talking." She looked away, out the window. "Why?" he asked again. Elyse answered.

"I don't belong here." She could tell he was getting annoyed.

"Do you know how many times I have heard that from you? Too damn many! There are people who have had it worse off than you, Elyse." She sat up, in the mood for a fight.

"Who? Name someone." He stood, towering over her.

"Harry Potter! He went through a lot more than you. He never attempted suicide. He never gave up like a bloody coward!" Harry was a year younger than her.

"He had friends, Severus. He had people to stand by him! You were never there for me! Where were you when I needed you?!" She yelled at him, beginning to cry. He was speechless and ashamed, and then he sat down again and spoke in a quiet tone.

"I thought you were strong enough to handle things on your own. You have so much of your mother in you; I knew you could take care of yourself. But I suppose I was wrong." He stood and went for the door. A nurse came in and said something then handed her something.

"I have a letter for you." She handed it to her, but Elyse didn't move. The nurse left it on the bed near her and left. Elyse continued to stare out the window until curiosity got the best of her and she opened the letter. The envelope was addressed to her from Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Dear Miss Mantritch,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

_Headmaster_

Elyse rolled her eyes, but stopped her negative thoughts. Maybe this could be a good thing. At least it would give her something to do.


	2. Welcome

Elyse stepped through the wall and into a crowd of people. They looked at her and moved out of her way without a word. She moved on to where she saw luggage being stowed onto the train. A crowd of students was in her way and she tried to budge past them but she didn't get far.

"Do you need assistance?" someone asked. She turned around and looked up. A quirky looking red head was standing behind her with a similar trolley. She went with her unnatural polite instincts and nodded with an apologetic smile. He smiled back and went through the crowd ahead of her, pushing people out of the way. They got to the luggage cart and she loaded her trunks next to his, keeping her covered cage. She left him when his back was turned away and heard him start asking a question and stop. She smiled a little, boarded the train, and found an empty compartment. But it was not empty for long. The red head popped his head in and sat across from her.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked, leaning back against the seat. Elyse smirked and set the bird cage next to her on the seat and uncovered it. Eddie, her black bat, squawked in protest at the light.

"You can't take a hint, can you?" she said and opened the cage to let Eddie rest on her arm. The boy shrugged.

"I guess not. I'm George Weasley." He held out his hand and Elyse shook it.

"Elyse Mantritch." She let go of his hand and looked out the window. As they started to pull out, loud laughter and shouting came from the corridor. George must have recognized the voices because he went halfway out the door and shouted to his friends.

"Oy! Over here!" he turned to Elyse. "You don't mind do you?" she said she didn't and George waved out the door. The laughter got louder and four students came in through the door and arranged themselves according to some special organization plan. Elyse found herself sitting next to Harry Potter, she recognized him from pictures. He turned to her and held out a hand.

"I'm Harry. This is Hermione," Elyse smiled at the brown haired girl, "Ron," a red head that looked like George, "and Fred. You've already met George?" Elyse nodded and presumed that Ron, Fred, and George were related. Their conversations proved that to be true.

"I still can't believe that you set the kitchen on fire," George was saying. Eddie was hanging upside down on a rail above their heads. Ron's ears turned red.

"How did you manage to do that?" Elyse asked. Hermione answered, laughing.

"He was trying to peel a potato magically with his eyes closed. It was a dare that these two imbeciles put up." She thrust a thumb at Fred and George, who were whispering over an open bag. Fred glanced up and caught her eye. He quickly looked away and whispered something to George. He glanced at Elyse then the twins grinned at each other. Fred faced her and held out his hand.

"Would you like some chocolate?" he asked simply. She raised an eyebrow and reached for the golden wrapped nougat. But when her fingers brushed it, she sensed a trick and a flash of premonition flicked in front of her eyes. She pulled back and looked skeptically at him.

"No thanks." He shrugged and set it in Ron's pile of sweets. She had only seen herself running to the back of the train to the loo, so she didn't exactly know what it did. Of course, the tricked chocolate was the next thing for Ron to pick up and pop into his mouth mid-sentence. She looked at Fred and George, who had now broken into a hushed argument. Elyse was going to ask what they did to him, but a strong scent made her move her eyes in Ron's direction. Hermione had been talking about hats but was now asking Ron what was making him so pale. Harry was talking to Fred and George, who were now shouting at each other. All Elyse could focus on was the blood dripping from Ron's nose onto the floor. Her eyes followed every drop that she could nearly taste. It was the thirst coming back at the sight of fresh blood instead of the vile stuff two weeks old. In the back of her mind she could almost resist jumping him and draining the rest of his life source, but the world was fogging over, preventing her from thinking straight.

"Elyse!" Hermione's voice and her hand on Elyse's shoulder abruptly jerked her out of her reverie. She must have glared at Hermione because she looked scared. She looked away at the floor.

"Does blood freak you out?" George asked as he gave Ron a purple wrapped mint. She shook her head and decided to just come out and say it.

"No. I'm a vampire," she confessed with a shaky voice. Silence followed. Elyse fiddled with the designs on her black jeans and waited for someone to say anything. But no one did, so Elyse decided to start telling the story of her life, to some degree.

"I was born in New Zealand and have recently been living alone after spending seven years with my god father. My Mom was a witch, and Dad was a vampire. She didn't know until I was seven. Dad told her after I had ripped apart a weasel. After that she committed suicide when she thought I was asleep instead of outside the bathroom door. Then a year later Dad and I were at home when a werewolf and Death Eaters stormed in and killed him. I was left with this," she moved the collar of her dark purple shirt over to the left and showed them the dark scar on her collar bone. The loose-fitting sleeve slipped down her arm, revealing the healed slashes on her wrists. "Those I did myself two months ago. I basically grew tired of life after it seemed to say 'screw you'." She ended her speech with her infamous dry humor. Elyse was satisfied and opened a chocolate frog, not bothering to look at the card.

Nearly an hour later Elyse stepped out of the compartment with everyone else, dressed in her boring Hogwarts robes. She took her cage and Eddie in her arms and followed her new friends to the carriages and threstals. A blond haired girl was sitting in the corner reading a magazine upside down. Elyse sat next to her and Fred was on the other side. The girl looked at Elyse with alarming dislike and raised the magazine up so as to completely hide her face. Elyse looked at Hermione and she shrugged. Fred glanced at her and gave her a small smile.

"Everyone this is Loony Love-" Hermione stopped her introduction short with a wary glance at the girl. Loony seemed unfazed. "Luna Lovegood," she corrected quietly. No one else spoke as they rode up to the castle; ever since her confession they seemed to be a little scared of Elyse. She had a feeling it would wear off soon.

In the letter it had given her instructions to be sorted with the first years. She waved to her friends then looked over people's heads to find a cluster of little kids near the bottom of the staircase. They were in front of a very big man. Elyse took a deep breath and headed toward them. The man turned to her when she cleared her throat.

"You must be Elyse Mantritch, right?" she nodded. He smiled kindly and shook her hand with his huge one. "Rubeus Hagrid. I hope ya have a good time here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd best be on my way. Lots to do before classes start." He ambled away through the increasing crowd of students going into the Great Hall. She was left surrounded by short people. They all seemed nervous. A woman dressed in a dark blue dress stood at the top of the stairs holding a scroll and wearing spectacles.

"First years, may I have your attention please? Thank you. You are about to be escorted into the Great Hall in order to be sorted. This will be done by order of your last name in alphabetical order. But, first we have a transfer student from Callum's School of Witchcraft… where is Miss Mantritch?" She looked over her glasses and her aged eyes scanned the group and rested on Elyse when she raised her hand. "Ah, welcome. You will be sorted first then take your seat at the according House table. Now, all of you follow me." She turned and led the group through the large double doors and down the middle isle. Elyse wasn't nervous, even though she was clearly the oldest one and in the front. She heard whispering behind her and turned to look hard at the two girls behind her that were snickering and pointing. They quieted, but still made Elyse aware of her pointed ears showing beneath her black hair. A white bearded man stepped away from his seat at the middle of the teacher's table, which had an empty seat, and up to a podium. He raised his hand, and that eventually silenced everyone.

"Welcome back, to you upper classmen, and welcome to all first years. Before we begin the sorting-"

"Ahem," a little cough from the table behind him made him stop short and turn to a woman wearing pink. Because of that, Elyse immediately did **not** like her. Dumbledore moved aside with a surprised look on his face and the woman stepped to the front of the platform. Elyse did not bother to pay any attention and began looking for her friends. They were whispering among themselves, and when the toad said "We will be great friends", Fred and George said something obviously funny that sent a reaction of giggles and a glare from the pink lady. Dolores Umbridge received a weak applause. The sorting resumed.

"Mantritch, Elyse." McGonagall called her name first and she stepped up to the chair and the ratty Sorting Hat.

"Ratty, eh?" The voice surprised her. "Well, I may not be pretty but I will put you in your place. Hmm, witty, brave, ah… vampire? Interesting… and Snape's god daughter? Well, well, I know where you go. Slytherin!" The last word was shouted, followed by muttered directions to which table it was. She felt eyes staring at her as she took a seat in an empty space near the middle of the table, and not with dislike. Elyse found herself sitting across from Draco Malfoy, the son of the devil. She had briefly met his father, and suspected he was no better. He cocked a smirk that must have been a friendly greeting. She returned it as a "leave me alone or I'll rip your head off" sort of look. He obviously didn't get the message, as he leaned forward and spoke to her.

"So, where did you come from?" Elyse decided to go with it.

"New Zealand." It was a harmless, simple answer.

"Ah, Callum's School of Witchcraft. It's going to be different with us here." By _us_, he meant the boys. "If you need anyone to show you around, let me know." He was charming, and kudos to that, but Elyse didn't find him attractive. So, she told him so.

"Thanks, Draco, but no thanks." He was surprised.

"How do you know my name?" She turned to face him completely.

"We've met before, when we were eight, at my father's funeral. I'm Elyse Mantritch." She put out her hand. He took it, slightly surprised.

"I remember you. You look different." Elyse smiled and gave her attention to her food. Throughout the dinner, Draco introduced her to various people. She listened in on their conversations and answered their scarce questions, but soon fell into silence. Across the room she saw her friends and some of them waved. Draco turned around to see who she was smiling at and scowled.

"You don't want to get with the likes of them. Potter's a rotten liar, he is." Elyse stared at him.

"What do you mean by that? Oh, right, your father has you brainwashed, sorry." The one thing Elyse could not handle was people not realizing the truth, and Malfoy was a perfect example. He looked at her, both angry and puzzled.

"What?" She didn't answer, only moved to the empty end of the table. She sat silently until two red headed boys came from the other side of the room. Fred and George did not seem to mind that they were in enemy territory.

"Hello Elyse," George greeted.

"Thought you needed some company," Fred rebounded. Elyse smiled widely but glanced over at the nearest Slytherins, who quickly looked away. Movement at the professor's table caused her to look up at a black robed man taking a seat resentfully next to Umbridge. Her mouth dropped open and she swiftly turned to the twins that were taking food off her plate.

"What is Severus doing here?" George glanced at the table occupied by said potions master and opened his mouth after swallowing his chicken.

"That is Professor Snape. The nasty git is the potions teacher. Do you know him?" Elyse leaned forward.

"He's my god father," she said and glanced in his direction. By chance he was looking the same way and stared at her with a look of puzzled disbelief. She smiled sideways and resumed eating. "He saw me." Fred's hand reached for her desert but she swatted it away and took a drink from her goblet. It was blood. A black figure in the corner of her eye was approaching and she smiled sweetly at Severus as he sat next to her. He did not return it.

"Elyse, _what_ are you doing here? Didn't you once tell me that you are a threat to all humanity?" He then noticed the boys sitting across from her that were stealing her food. Elyse placed a light hand on his arm.

"Don't worry, Severus, I told some people on the train. As for what I'm doing here, I am here to experience the wonders of learning and let my mind take to the air," she said with zero enthusiasm. He was not amused.

"Ah, there you are Miss Mantritch. Severus, if you two would come with me." Albus Dumbledore surprised them all by showing up behind her unannounced, then left with no more word. Elyse followed Severus but turned back to retrieve her chocolate crème from the table along with a fork. She waved and smiled to Fred and George before leaving them behind and unguarded from Slytherin glares. They looked after her, then at each other. In unison they stood and returned to the Gryffindor table.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk and motioned for Elyse and Severus to sit in two comfortable chairs next to each other and across from him. Severus sat to the right of Elyse then Dumbledore spoke. Elyse sat her plate on her lap and took a bite of pie.

"Severus, do you know why I sent Elyse the letter?" he asked, and truly expected an answer. The brooding man closed his eyes for a moment before answering in a bored tone that always annoyed her.

"Because you feel she has enough potential and ability?" It was a guess, not an answer, but Dumbledore let the matter pass.

"That, and because you are here. I think she will be much safer with you, as her guardian, within the same grounds." He was expecting what was coming next.

"Safe?! Who says I'm not safe?" Elyse blurted out. "Besides, close or not he won't make any difference. I accepted the letter so that I could get away from life." Severus addressed her directly.

"No, you attempted suicide so that you could get away from life! There are more problematic things happening here than with you. Stop being so conceited and grow up!"

"Stop acting like you're my father. You do not know me well enough to take control of my decisions. Half the time I lived with you, you were never around." Severus was not going down without a fight.

"I know you well enough to say that it is dangerous-"

"For what? For me to be around humans? I do not want special treatment because I am a vampire. I can take care of it. Also, I don't believe you know me," she said and leaned back in her chair, looking at the ceiling.

"Yes I do!"

"Really? When is my birthday?"

"November 17. When you were six you told me your parents were mean because they wouldn't get you a broomstick." He finished strong and silenced his opponent, who resumed looking at the ceiling. Albus smiled a little.

"Now that that is out of your systems…. Elyse, have you told anyone about this?" She did not look away from the phoenix circling above them.

"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Fred, George, and Ron Weasley. They know about my vampirism. Fred and George know about him," she leaned her head to her right," being my god father. What is supposed to be a secret?" Dumbledore raised an impressed eyebrow. Severus glanced at her, but she was engrossed in the process of drawing designs in her whipped cream.

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to be sure. But if I were you I would not tell the entire student body. I have, however, notified all your professors of your condition in the possibility that something happens."

"Like if someone has a terrible accident and starts bleeding? Yes, then it would be a good idea to get me out of the room." She said, taking a bite of pie.


	3. Relax

Elyse's instinctive sense of direction told her which way to go to the Slytherin dorm, but she had other plans. Wrapping her black jacket tighter around herself, she turned left and stepped into the moonlit courtyard. Fred Weasley had not yet noticed her, but she saw him leaning against a statue. She deliberately stepped on a leaf and he turned around. He smiled a little and straightened up. She approached him and waved a little.

"Hey. What are you doing out here?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said and they walked together in no specific direction. She hesitated.

"I'm just going to the Black Forest for a drink, if you get my meaning. So, I'm not blowing you off or anything, but I think it would be best if I went alone. But you can walk me there." She ended with a quirk of her lips. He nodded. "You still haven't answered my question," she said and nudged him with her elbow. He glanced at her and then looked up at the star-studded sky.

"I was thinking."

"About…?"

"…Nothing." He smiled into the darkness ahead of them. Soon they passed a small shack and Elyse saw the outline of a big dog in a window. Fred followed her gaze.

"That's Hagrid's hut. He teaches Care of Magical Creatures," there was a slight pause. "Speaking of classes, you and I have double Potions together. Looking forward to it?" Elyse chuckled.

"With Snape? No. It's a good thing I'm good at it. Don't we also have Magic Culinary Arts together, too?"

"Hmm, I think you're right. That's going to be fun." They reached the edge of the forest and they both looked into its blackness.

"Be careful," Fred warned. Elyse smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Freddy. I'm sure I'm just as dangerous as anything in there. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night," she disappeared.

Elyse woke up to an annoying Pansy Parkinson. Elyse's sheets were covering her head, but Pansy's voice was still penetrating the thin wall.

"I can't wait for Defense Against the Dark Arts to begin. Professor Umbridge is an inspiration." Elyse knew she had to get to class, so she pulled the covers reluctantly away. Pansy and her fans turned to look at her with disgust. She gave them a "don't mess with me look" and raised her finger and drew a circle above her head. The black curtains around her bed moved in front of her and blocked the space. She opened her trunk and pulled out her uniform. She got dressed, pulled on her shoes and robes, and went to her dresser to do her makeup. Eyeliner was really the only thing she wore; she didn't have much use for anything else. In her magic mirror that showed a vampire's reflection she saw her fangs projecting farther than her other teeth and vaguely wondered how she would fit in. Pushing the thought aside, she pulled her bag over her head and it hung diagonally across her body ending at her right side. She left the dorm room without a word. She walked straight through the common room, but was stopped at the door by Draco.

"Hi. Uh, can I walk you to breakfast?" He asked nicely. Something was different about him, something good. She smiled, a gesture that she had found herself doing a lot more often. He looked relieved and opened the door for her. They walked out together and Elyse was not surprised to see people staring at them. Draco was, after all, the Slytherin Prince. He didn't seem bothered at all, and Elyse admired that.

"So how have you been since I last saw you eight years ago?" She asked casually. He glanced at her, and then leisurely hesitated.

"Not bad," He seemed like that was all he wanted to say. "What did you mean when you said yesterday that my father has me brainwashed?" Elyse laughed.

"Is that why you asked me to breakfast?" Draco looked at her seriously. "Alright. Everyone thinks that Harry is lying about..." she noticed him stiffen even before she had said his name, "Voldemort returning. Please do not say anything," she put up a hand to stop him from speaking, and it actually silenced him. "I am not in the mood for arguing with you and killing you." She quickened her pace and left him in the dust. The Great Hall was not very full, but her friends were sitting at their table and waved to her. She ignored the Slytherins and sat between Fred and George where they had made room for her. She greeted everyone with a round of good mornings and dug into her pancakes. Hermione, sitting a few people away, next to Ron, sighed shortly in frustration and closed the book she had been reading from. Elyse noticed, out of the corner of her eye, the title read Vampires: A Magical Mystery.

"What's wrong?" Elyse asked her. She ran a hand through her hair, which was less frizzy than usual.

"I can't figure out the answer, and it's an answer I have to write an essay on!" Elyse got up and took the empty seat next to her. Hermione showed her the question.

"List the unnatural abilities of a vampire of the fourth generation. Simple." Hermione certainly did not seem happy with herself for not knowing, but Elyse was happy to help.

"Well, I'd say it's a trick question. Every family has different traits, you see. It all depends on what the specialty of the ancestor bitten was. If it was spell casting, like my Great-great-great grandfather's was, then their descendants would have no use for a wand with simple spells. Or, if transfiguration was it, then they would be like a Metamorphagus only better. But this only applies if the bloodline is all Pureblood." She paused.

"Oh, right. Thank you, Elyse." Hermione said and turned to the parchment. Elyse said she was welcome and returned to her place between Fred and George. But she noticed something was wrong. Her blueberry muffin was missing. She glanced at the surrounding plates and found it on Harry's. He was trying to avoid her gaze, but she could tell he was in on it. She made a "come here" gesture with her forefinger and the muffin floated into her right hand. She smiled slyly and took a bite.

"What classes do you have?" Fred asked. George had moved to sit next to Katie Bell so now her left side felt lonely. Elyse rummaged in her bag and found her schedule.

"AP Transfiguration, Divination, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and a double dose of Potions," she said and looked up into his blue-green eyes. He was grinning.

"Would you like any fries with that?" He asked. She laughed. Her hard shell was finally melting away.


	4. First day, First kill

Elyse had AP Transfiguration with Hermione, Divination with the girl named Luna, who was still oddly cold to her, and Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions with the Gryffindors. Defense Against the Dark Arts was an unspeakable case, Umbridge was the WORST. Potions were bound to be fun; they told Elyse that Snape was bound to be more of an ass as a teacher than as a god father.

They sat in whatever seats they wanted to, though Snape would most likely move them. Draco somewhat waved to her from two rows behind. She returned the gesture, but abruptly turned back two seconds before her god father entered. He looked over the group, but didn't look at Elyse. He turned to the blackboard and waved his arm. The chalk rose and wrote: Nightshade, Aconite, Hellebore, and Hemlock.

"What are the similarities between these four plants?" Not very many people raised their hands. Hermione, next to Elyse, raised her hand eagerly. Elyse looked around and saw only half a dozen hands raised. Snape was standing straight in front of the class with a somewhat patient expression. Elyse raised her hand. Snape looked right over the two girls' heads. "Mr. Malfoy," he said. Elyse turned around.

"They are all deadly; known as the four classic poisons." He looked at Elyse and smiled cruelly. She narrowed her eyes. The next few questions, it was a competition between the two. Ron had nothing better to do, so he kept score. By lunch, he had a good tally: Draco, 2; Elyse, 3.

"Brilliant, we might actually have found someone who is smarter than Hermione," Harry said. The two girls smiled at each other. Elyse did not feel like talking, so she took out her notebook and began writing. After a few minutes of this, Ron asked her what she was working so diligently on.

"A journal," she said. Fred tried to peek over her left arm, the one that was writing, to see what it was, but the ink was invisible. She knew what he was doing and smiled. As soon as she did, a vision came into her mind. Someone was going to fall very soon. Ron, two people away from her, was being beckoned by a black boy named Dean, and failed to notice the small puddle of pumpkin juice soon to be underneath his foot. He stepped on it and slid, only to be caught by Elyse flicking her wrist behind herself and casting a silent but strong charm to hold him up. He was raised up to his feet. Not very many people noticed, but those who did whispered among themselves. Ron looked at the vampire, who had stopped writing.

"Be careful. Wet floors cause loss of balance," she said, and resumed writing. Her friends simply dismissed her silence and began talking amongst themselves about anything and everything.

-----

"How does it kill, Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Snape had accepted Draco's answer to what does Hemlock do (It kills you), but he didn't know the complete answer. Elyse rolled her eyes as he was silent and raised her hand. Hermione did so, as well. Elyse glanced over her shoulder at Draco, who was moping. Snape ignored them and looked to the left of the room.

"Mr. Potter, do you know the answer?" Harry lowered his hand.

"Hemlock produces complete paralysis and loss of speech, and depressed respiratory function that ultimately ceases altogether, and death results from asphyxia," he paused a moment. "The mind remains unaffected to the last," he finished and glanced at Hermione and Elyse.

"I didn't know he knew that," Hermione whispered. Elyse smiled. For homework their assignment was an essay on the properties of the four classic poisons. It was easy, if you had paid attention in class. This, with the exception of Harry's answer, is exactly what Ron and Harry didn't do. Later they were sitting in the courtyard, and Elyse simply couldn't think straight. She tapped her foot to an unheard beat as Ron and Harry tried to convince Hermione to let them copy her notes from History of Magic (a VERY boring class, but it wouldn't be so bad if Professor Binns wasn't so dull… or dead). Absentmindedly Elyse realized that she hadn't had enough blood for the day. She told her friends she needed to go the bathroom and went down the hallway. She didn't know what to do; she didn't have a supply for cases like this, and she couldn't go to the Black Forest in the middle of the day.

She paused in the corridor and leaned against the wall. There was an ache in the back of her head that went all the way down her spine, pulsing and growing with pain. She tried to look natural. A small group of students passed her, laughing. When they caught sight of her they stopped laughing and passed on the far side of the hallway. Elyse could only imagine what she looked like: a pale, sickly looking vampire leaning wearily against the wall, her fangs showing like white eyes in the dark. After a few moments she thought of someone who might be able to help and forced herself to move. The ache had now turned into a need that was felt both physically and mentally. Blood for a vampire was an addiction, more than a life source. If she didn't get some, and fast, she didn't want to know what she would end up doing. A vampire starved for blood was like a werewolf in the light of a full moon. They would attack their best friend and not really know what they were doing. Humans are just sacs of blood waiting to be punctured, letting the warm metallic liquid flow, giving life and strength. The animal would squirm and only encourage the thirst and she would hold on and drink no matter what the protests were like and she would keep drinking until just before the thing had died because dead blood was bad dead blood made you sick but the life blood gave you life you stole it from them oh shut up! She took a left down a staircase, nearly fell, and went toward the dungeons.

A class of first years was just leaving and Elyse politely pushed past them as she went into the classroom where Snape was straightening papers on his surprisingly clean front desk.

"Professor," Elyse said. It was slightly strange to call him Professor instead of Severus, as she was used to. He turned around and momentarily looked worried.

"Yes, Miss Mantritch, what can I do for you?" He asked. His voice was calm but he looked her over with concern.

"Is there such a thing as blood substitute for vampires who cannot find it in their busy schedule to hunt for fresh blood?" She did not plan what she was going to say, it just came out. Snape wasn't surprised.

"Yes there is. But it takes five days to make. And the ingredients are rare."

"Five days? What am I supposed to do until then? Sev- er, Professor, you know what happens if I don't get enough blood. I'm not in the mood to go on a killing spree in the castle. Or anywhere else for that matter." Thinking about killing only made the ache worse.

Snape looked down at Elyse. She was clearly in distress, and she had come to him for help. He was momentarily touched, then realized that there was no one else she could have gone to; he was the potions master.

"Elyse, you can hunt in the Black forest until the potion is finished. I'll put a charm on the flask so it stays filled," Snape said. Elyse looked relieved for a moment, then:

"What can I hunt in the Black Forest?" she asked urgently. She didn't want to kill any pet of Hagrid's or anything she might get expelled for. Second years started to drift into the classroom. Snape ushered Elyse toward the door.

"Figure it out for yourself, Miss Mantritch. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach." Elyse wasn't very happy with his goodbye, but at least she would have something to drink and quench her thirst.

Her friends were still in the courtyard when Elyse returned. Fred and George were sitting near where she had left her bag in the shade. They both looked at her with slight concern and George asked her what was wrong. She only shook her head and slung her bag over her shoulder. "See you in MCA Fred," she said and left. The halls were void of everyone but a few stray students either hurrying to their classes or goofing off with friends. She had to go through a long part of the castle before she could make it to the grounds, and then there was the task of entering the forest without being seen. If one more person looked at her weird or asked her what was wrong she didn't doubt that she would bite their head off.

Elyse made her way through the halls near the back of the castle, toward the greenhouses and the Quidditch field. She looked into the courtyard and saw that a class was in Greenhouse four. Quickly she hurried past it and onto the field. Green and silver clad students on brooms told her that there was no way she could get to the Forest without someone spotting and questioning her. She looked up at the Slytherin team and walked around the inside perimeter of the field. She was more than halfway across when Draco landed next to her.

"Where are you going?" he asked a bit coldly. He probably wasn't too happy with her for the way she had blown him off at breakfast the other day.

"For a walk," she answered shortly. She really did not want to talk to anyone at this point.

"Don't you have classes to go to?" Elyse stopped and faced him.

"Look, Draco, I'm glad to see you're so concerned about me, but I can handle my own things," she said, turning away. "Have a nice day," she added softly. She left the field and sighed. Maybe she could appreciate the fact that he's nice to her and return the favor... but not now, she needed to focus on the task at hand.

No one was between the field and the forest, but she still looked around to make sure no one saw her. She ran the last few yards and dumped her bag at the base of the first tree. She sighed and took off her outer robes, leaving only her shirt and sweater vest. She left them with her bag and took off in a sprint. Vampires are unnaturally fast and even though the world around them is speeding by, everything in their perspective is in slow motion. Elyse dodged trees in less than a blink of an eye.

A metallic smell was growing stronger and she slowed, gripping a tree like a lizard grips the glass of its tank. The sun was behind the clouds and the canopy of the trees, but she had no trouble seeing the bleeding wolf on the ground. It was suffering terribly, and she decided to put it out of its misery. She climbed to the ground and slowly approached the creature. The gash in its side looked like a brawl within the pack, and it had bite marks on its legs. Elyse felt immense pity, but the thirst was overpowering. The animal barely looked up when she landed next to it and laid her hands on the wound. The feel of warm, living blood on her hands kindled the thirst even more, and she bared her fangs and bit into its neck, breaking the skin instantly. The wolf's paws trembled feebly in an attempt to get away and a hoarse cry escaped its mouth. The blood was so warm and she drank until the thirst was quenched. Elyse raised her head and took a deep breath. There was blood running down her chin and she wiped it off with her fingers and then licked her fingers. She looked at the gray wolf with a bit of sadness. Even though it was nearly dead when she reached it, she had finished it off. _Well,_ she thought, _at least I won't be attacking any students._


	5. Notice!

I apologize for not writing in so long. But, to make up for my horrible delay, I have decided to make a Christmas special! I will make it good, with some spoilers about pairings later on in my story. It will be a one shot and fluffy, but not too light-hearted. After all, Elyse is a vampire, and vampires are not fluffy. I will have it up before New Year's Eve, that is my goal. But I have homework to do so I am not making any binding promises. Until then, Constant Readers, Happy Holidays!


End file.
